Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is pressing the MITRE Corp. to identify and produce records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), arguing that the federally funded research organization (FFRDC) may possess government-funded data, technical materials, or contract deliverables relevant to ongoing congressional investigations.
MITRE is a nonprofit organization that manages FFRDCs to support U.S. government agencies. UAP are objects of unknown origin.
In a 10-page letter sent on May 22, Burlison – a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets – directed MITRE to search for and preserve records tied to UAPs, unexplained aerospace or undersea events, technologies of unknown origin, and alleged crash-retrieval or reverse-engineering programs.
The request comes as Congress continues implementation of a national UAP Records Collection at the National Archives and Records Administration, which requires federal agencies to identify and preserve records related to UAP investigations.
In the letter, Burlison said MITRE’s unique role operating FFRDCs may mean it has records that must also be preserved according to congressional requirements. MITRE currently operates six FFRDCs.
“By design, FFRDCs often receive special access to government facilities, data, sponsor requirements, and sensitive technical information that ordinary private contractors may not receive,” Burlison wrote. “This special public-trust role makes records stewardship, sponsor accountability, and congressional visibility especially important.”
Burlison wants MITRE to identify any UAP-related records, data, materials, contract deliverables, or program information created, handled, transferred, withheld, or destroyed by the organization, its FFRDCs, or subcontractors.
Burlison emphasized that MITRE is not being asked to determine the origin or validity of reported UAP incidents, but rather to identify and account for any records in its possession and the federal sponsors or classification authorities associated with them.
“The Committee’s oversight interests include federal records management, federal procurement, classification accountability, contractor custody of government records, Special Access Program and Controlled Access Program reporting, whistleblower protections, and the implementation of congressional mandates concerning UAP records,” the letter reads.
Burlison set multiple deadlines for MITRE’s response, including:
- Designation of a senior officer to oversee MITRE’s response to Burlison’s requests within five business days
- Issuance of a preservation hold covering UAP-related data within 10 business days
- Coordination of a classified briefing within 14 days
- Delivery of written responses and a records index within 30 days
- Production of unclassified materials within 45 days
The letter also directs MITRE to segregate classified or otherwise restricted materials and identify the appropriate federal officials responsible for authorizing their release.
Burlison’s request arrives amid a broader Trump administration effort to declassify and release UAP-related records. The administration has released two batches of records in May, and additional disclosures are expected in the coming weeks.
The declassification initiative is being coordinated by the Defense Department, the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Energy Department, NASA, the FBI, and other intelligence community components involved in UAP investigations.